New $10 Notes
Updated: January 7, 2009
"Ten Dollar" Signs. New $10 notes have begun circulating, which means businesses that handle cash and use machines that receive or dispense cash and consumers alike should be prepared to handle the new notes. Busey Bank`s Susan Abbott explains the whys and wherefores of the redesigned currency.
Q: What impact does redesigned currency have?
For some businesses, it means training cash-handling employees on how to use the notes updated security features, for others the change involves making technical adjustments to machines that receive or dispense cash, such as vending and self-checkout machines. The new $10 note is highlighted by images of the Statue of Liberty`s torch, and the words "We the People" from the U. S. Constitution. It incorporates easy-to-use security features for people to check their money and subtle background colors in shades of orange, yellow and red.
Q: What security features are included?
Color-shifting ink: Tilt the ten to check that the numeral in the lower right-hand corner on the face of the note changes color from copper to green. Watermark: Hold the note up to the light to see if a faint image of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton appears to the right of his large portrait. It should be visible from both sides of the note. On the redesigned $10 note, it is easier than ever to locate the watermark a blank oval has been incorporated into the design to highlight the watermark`s location. Security thread: Hold the note up to the light and make sure there`s a small strip that repeats USA TEN in tiny print. It should run vertically to the right of the portrait.
Q: Seems like currency is being redesigned more often. The U. S. Government has announced that currency will now be redesigned, on an alternating basis, approximately every 7-10 years, in order to stay ahead of counterfeiters. The objective of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is a seamless transition into daily commerce, both in the U. S. and around the world. Counterfeiting of U. S. currency has been kept a low levels through a combination of improvements in security features, aggressive law enforcement and education efforts to inform consumers and cash-handlers alike on how to check currency. As always, you don`t have to trade in your old $10 notes for new ones. Both new notes and old notes maintain their full face value.
